1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to tapware, more particularly to a water inlet device for a faucet.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional water inlet device 3 is adapted for use in a faucet 2. Aside from the conventional water inlet device 3, the faucet 2 includes a valve 4 for controlling water flow, a handle 5 secured to one end of the valve 4, a water outlet unit 6 connected to the conventional water inlet device 3, and a water inlet pipe 7 coupled to the conventional water inlet device 3. The conventional water inlet device 3 is secured to a deck 300 through a locking collar 8 and is disposed between the water outlet unit 6 and the water inlet pipe 7. The conventional water inlet device 3 is made from plastic, and includes a valve seat 301 and a connecting pipe 302 that is connected integrally to the valve seat 301. However, since the valve seat 301 and the connecting pipe 302 of the conventional water inlet device 3 are formed integrally, the entire conventional water inlet device 3 will have to be replaced even when only the valve seat 301 is broken, thereby resulting in higher maintenance costs.
As shown in FIG. 2, another conventional water inlet device 9 includes a valve seat 901 that is made from plastic, and a connecting pipe 902 that is made from metal, and that is connected separably to the valve seat 901. The valve seat 901 of this conventional water inlet device 9 has a pipe coupling portion 903 that has a guide hole 903′ through which water flows. The connecting pipe 902 of this conventional water inlet device 9 has an inner hole 904 that is formed with an internal thread part 905 for threaded engagement with the pipe coupling portion 903 of the valve seat 901, and a hexagonal part 906 for engagement with a tool (not shown). This conventional water inlet device 9 is secured to a deck 908 through a locking collar 907. However, since the pipe coupling portion 903 of the valve seat 901 has a relatively thin structure, when the locking collar 907 is used to fasten the conventional water inlet device 9 to the deck 908, a tensile force that is applied by the locking collar 907 to the connecting pipe 902 may cause the pipe coupling portion 903 to fracture. Moreover, the disposition of the internal thread part 905 and the hexagonal part 906 of the inner hole 904 of this conventional water inlet device 9 will result in a relatively high manufacturing cost.